Lake Superior tops list of 'best lake vacations'

There's no question Minnesota is home to beautiful lakes, but the most popular and largest in the state has become one of the top vacation spots in the country, according to a CNN report. Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin and another Minnesota destination, Lake Kabetogama, also made the list.

There's no question Minnesota is home to beautiful lakes, but the most popular and largest in the state has become one of the top vacation spots in the country, according to a CNN report. Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin and another Minnesota destination, Lake Kabetogama, also made the list.

A group of brave surfers were spotted hitting the waves on Lake Superior Friday. WDIO in Duluth reports the air temperature was near single digits, but the Great Lake was in the mid-30s. One of the surfers says he's been catching the waves for the past 15 years.

According to an American Meteorological Society report, the amount of ice covering all the Great Lakes has dropped more than 70 percent over the past 40 winters. The Duluth News Tribune reports the study doesn't include the 2011-12 season. As of this winter, only about five percent of the Great Lakes froze. The lead researcher says a lack of ice coverage can reduce water levels, damage water quality and accelerate shoreline erosion.

Jeffrey Watson was underwater in Lake Superior for at least thirty minutes while swimming with friends in Duluth Monday. His father says the 13-year-old never regained consciousness and his organs were beginning to shut down when the family decided to take him off life support.

A joint program, established in 1991, between the United States and Canada is on track to reduce nine toxic chemicals like mercury and PCBs by 2020. According to Minnesota Public Radio, a draft report says sources of pollution around Lake Superior have cut mercury emissions by 80 percent and dioxins by 85 percent.